A Mighty HeartMovie Reviews

Poster art for "A Mighty Heart."

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Avg. Critic Score: 74 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 Iffy for 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Moving and frighteningly real. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The film belongs to Jolie. She won an Oscar for 1999's "Girl, Interrupted," but this is by far her best performance. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Emotionally and viscerally compelling and retains a suspenseful, edge-of-the-seat quality. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    What is best about A Mighty Heart is that it doesn't reduce the Daniel Pearl story to a plot, but elevates it to a tragedy. A tragedy that illuminates and grieves for the hatred that runs loose in our world, hatred as a mad dog that attacks everyone. Attacks them for what seems, to the dog, the best of reasons. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Ray Bennett

    Expertly fashioned documentary-style drama. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    Effectively fashioned, as jolting as it is polished, as well as a surprising, insistently political work of commercial art. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    Heart-wrenching film. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    A taut, meticulously crafted police procedural. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Justin Chang

    In his first studio venture, Michael Winterbottom coaxes forth a staggering wealth of detail from this terse, methodical account of Pearl's kidnapping and murder in Pakistan. Read full review

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Despite the best of intentions, an actress who makes her own headlines gets in the way of the big picture. Read full review

View more reviews for A Mighty Heart on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Powerful docudrama is for mature viewers.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this docudrama probably won't interest the majority of kids -- only the most mature teens will want to see the story of a woman's mission to save her kidnapped husband. But since Angelina Jolie is the star, and the story of Daniel Pearl's abduction and videotaped murder has been widely reported, some tweens/young teens might be curious. While the actual killing isn't shown, snippets of the preceding video are, as are photos of Danny in captivity and images of suspects being briefly tortured while interrogated. There's also a great deal of harsh language ("f--k," "s--t", etc.), almost all prompted by despair and anger at Danny's capture and death.
  • Families can talk about the significance of Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and murder. Why did it garner so much media attention? How do you feel about the fact that the media broadcast images of Pearl's beheading?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Mariane and her friends, Danny's co-workers, bravely aid Pakistani police in the search for the kidnapped Danny.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Disturbing photos and video of both a captured Danny and suspects being tortured during police interrogations; upsetting pivotal scene in which a group watches the footage of Danny's murder. Mariane cries and screams when she finds out her husband's fate.
  • sex false3 Sex: A discreet flashback of Mariane and Danny making love, cuddling in bed, and dancing at a club. They also hug and kiss each other the day he's abducted.
  • language false3 Language: Many uses of "f--k" after Mariane and her friends find out Danny has been abducted and then killed (pretty understandable given the context). Other curses include "s--t," "a--hole," etc.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Just the prominently featured Wall Street Journal (where Danny worked) and CNN.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Wine at a couple of dinner parties.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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